Unlocked bootloader in Canada?

- It appears that Samsung has left the devices bootloader alone on the Canadian builds which, unlike on the AT&T model, means there shouldnt be an issue loading new software on it. The problem is that because the Canadian model shares the same underlying architecture as the aforementioned U.S. variant, initial availability of custom ROMs and kernels will be limited due to a shortage of developers with access to the phones bootloader. This is an unfortunate situation alleviated somewhat by the fact that the device runs Android 4.2.2, the latest version of the Android software.

I'm kindof new to android, but does that mean that I can simply install a custom rom without having to use any exploits, etc? And does the recovery file mean that if I mess anything up I can simply install the recovery rom and it'll be good as new?
I consider myself to be good with computers, but this is all pretty new to me!